Aizawl: Mizoram Chief Minister Zoramthanga on Monday sought the Centre’s help in the wake of the financial crunch faced by the northeastern state, an official statement said.
Zoramthanga, who is now in New Delhi, called on Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday and informed her about the present financial situation in the state, the statement said.
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He urged the Union Minister to extend help to the state, it said.
Apart from the financial issue, Zoramthanga also informed issues related to the Myanmar refugees in the state and asked for her help towards this end.
Over 30,000 Myanmar refugees have taken shelter in different parts of Mizoram since the military coup in the neighbouring country in February last year.
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The refugees are provided with food and other relief by the state government, NGOs, churches and village authorities.
The official statement said that Sitharaman assured Zoramthanga of the Centre’s help to address the state’s financial crisis.
The Union Minister has also told the chief minister that the Centre has allocated Rs. 600 crore in the 2022-23 Union Budget for the constructions Aizawl by-pass road and bamboo link roads in different parts of Mizoram under the Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North-East (PM-DevINE) Scheme.
“The Centre would try its best to help and develop Mizoram,” the statement quoted Sitharaman as saying.
Mizoram has been reeling under financial crunch owing to several reasons, including the Covid-19 pandemic and non-receipt of the state’s share of taxes and grants amounting to over Rs. 2,630 crore during fiscal 2019-2020 to 2020-2021.
Recently, Zoramthanga, who also holds the finance portfolio, informed the state assembly that the state government has availed loans amounting to Rs. 256.396 crore from Reserved Bank of India (RBI) as ‘overdraft’ for six times between July 21 and August 2 in the current fiscal.
Opposition parties have been accusing the Mizo National Front government of causing irreparable damage to the state’s financial system.